"Uprooted" by Naomi Novik is a fantasy novel set in a world where a wizard known as The Dragon takes a young girl every ten years to live with him and protect the area from the dangers of the nearby Wood. The protagonist, Agnieszka, unexpectedly chosen instead of her best friend, discovers her own magical abilities and becomes an apprentice to The Dragon. As they work together to combat the threats from the Wood, Agnieszka navigates themes of magic, friendship, self-discovery, and love in a richly imagined world filled with folklore elements and moral ambiguity.
The book is praised for its beautiful and descriptive prose, creating a vivid and realistic world for readers to immerse themselves in. The story unfolds slowly, subverting expectations and revealing surprising twists that keep readers engaged until the very satisfying end. The character development, particularly of Agnieszka, is highlighted as she embodies girl power, bravery, and independence, becoming her own hero in the face of challenges and mysteries presented by the magical world she inhabits.
Genres:
Tropes/Plot Devices:
Topics:
Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include violence, attempted sexual assault, and emotional abuse.
Has Romance?
The romance in Uprooted is moderate, serving as a subplot rather than the main focus of the story.
From The Publisher:
Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.
Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.
The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows-everyone knows-that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn't, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.
But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.
Praise for Uprooted
"Uprooted has leapt forward to claim the title of Best Book I've Read Yet This Year. . . . Moving, heartbreaking, and thoroughly satisfying, Uprooted is the fantasy novel I feel I've been waiting a lifetime for. Clear your schedule before picking it up, because you won't want to put it down."-NPR
NEBULA AWARD WINNER
HUGO AWARD FINALIST
"If you want a fantasy with strong characters and brilliantly original variations on ancient stories, try Uprooted!"-Rick Riordan
"Breathtaking . . . a tale that is both elegantly grand and earthily humble, familiar as a Grimm fairy tale yet fresh, original, and totally irresistible."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR
BuzzFeed
Tordotcom
BookPage
Library Journal
Publishers Weekly
Ratings (324)
Incredible (65) | |
Loved It (122) | |
Liked It (72) | |
It Was OK (32) | |
Did Not Like (26) | |
Hated It (7) |
Reader Stats (726):
Read It (323) | |
Currently Reading (10) | |
Want To Read (269) | |
Did Not Finish (17) | |
Not Interested (107) |
18 comment(s)
The story was so original and creative. The protagonist was so lovable. It was unpredictable, a bit mysterious, super weird, and at the end…redeeming.
It felt like 2 stories in one. I wasn't a huge fan of the romance part, but I loved the magic system and the relationship between Agnieszka and Katia.
I didn’t find this nearly as compelling as Spinning Silver. It’s not BAD, but I had to force myself to finish it.
Sadly, I didn't like this book like I thought I might. It felt as though it tried to do way too much within 400 pages, and the characters didn't seem to settle in until 3/4 of the into the book. Overall, a majority of this book felt choppy and unsure of what it wanted to be or where it wanted to go which made reading it feel like a chore.
One Fantasy book that I loved after a LONG LONG time. It reminds of [a:J R R Tolkien|15661490|J R R Tolkien|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and [a:C.S. Lewis|1069006|C.S. Lewis|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1367519078p2/1069006.jpg] in a distant way.
Agnieszka, is chosen by a magician "Dragon" from the valley. Agnieszka and Kasia are friends and Kasia is thought to be chosen due to her qualities/beauty. Agnieszka finds her destiny with Dragon. The whole book kept me in edge. Yes, It was long but beautiful. The magic, danger, love and Woods in the story stole my heart.
Looking forward to read more books from this author.
This was a fun YA fairytale novel in the tradition of Eastern European fairytales (i.e. Grimm). It was quite enjoyable and the female characters were smart and powerful. A refreshing read. I would love to check out other works by this author!
good story but the ending was a little too open ended for me. I wanted an epilogue.
Around a 3 - I liked Spinning Silver way more than Uprooted, but the world and the magic here were nice too.
The pacing was a bit slow at times and I feel like more things could have been cut out. I ultimately liked the fight scenes and the ending though!
The more I think about this book, the more I dislike it when I compare it to Spinning Silver and the other 3.5 star books. So this has been dropped to a 3 star.
This book, in a word, is magic. The plot is intricate and deliberate, all of the pieces falling together into a finished puzzle at the end of the book. While not a book that would lead me fangirl-ish squealing or incoherent rants, I appreciate the thought that was put behind this book. This book is well written, and well done.
3.5
This book started out really, really great....and then the last third was really, really weird. I also felt like the character development stopped mid way through, and the characters became very stagnant.
Also, the sex scene was gratuitous and completely random, especially in a book that was otherwise PG (no swearing, gore, etc). It seemed like the author wrote a sex scene, wrote a book, and then thought, "Hm, I bet I can cram that in 'Uprooted.'" And crammed-in it was....If you were to cut out that scene entirely no one would know, because not only does if not add to the story but it is literally never mentioned or alluded to again. I have nothing against sex scenes, but this one was just jarring and unnecessary.
What can you read after
Uprooted?
About the Author:
An avid reader of fantasy literature since age six, Naomi Novik is also a history buff with a particular fascination with the Napoleonic era and a fondness for the work of Patrick O'Brian and Jane Austen. She lives with her husband and daughter in New York City along with many purring computers.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.
